A Cowboy's Touch
by ImnotamodelImjusthot
Summary: Chelsea intends to spend her summer on the Sunshine Islands with her aunt to relax. What she didn't count on was meeting Emma and her handsome, widowed father, Vaughn.  When Emma's nanny quits and Chelsea offers, what will become of Chelsea and Vaughn?
1. Beginning

**I hope that you all enjoy my new story! This story, however, is not my priority at the moment. My Ouran High School Host Club fanfic is. If you want to read that one, go check out my profile! It's based on me and my best friend. **

**By the way, Chelsea's outfit is on my profile page ;) I know it looks old, but that's her character... for now anyways *cue mysterious chuckle***

* * *

><p>She glanced at the word count at the bottom of the page. <em>Words:0. <em>She sighed as she glared at the blank Word document, willing it to somehow magically develop into a magnificent scoop for her column. Its emptiness mocked her unfocused mind and taunted her inability to produce an interesting story.

_What is my topic again? _she cynically thought to herself, _… Oh right, exploit the cold hard truth in a captivating way to my truth-seeking readers who have short attention spans. Easy-peasy._

Sighing once more, she turned her gaze to her window. She peered out of it and smirked to herself.

"What a nice view," she thought out loud sarcastically.

Swarms of rude pedestrians walked out of turn, yelling crude indecencies at the drivers. Various venders attempted to sell their products to bystanders who ignored their pleas. Pick pocketing wasn't uncommon; seemingly innocent gestures that strangers make could make you lose quite a bit of cash. Just a normal day in New York City.

She raised her perfectly manicured hands and rubbed her temples; slowly breathing in and out, she tried to refocus her attention to the task at hand: exposing the truth, her job as a journalist.

"Need this," a voice called out from behind her.

The frustrated journalist spun her computer chair around to face the intruder. The woman handed her a cup of coffee.

"Thanks Patty, I really need this," she inhaled the scent and savored the moment when warmth danced across her taste buds.

"No problem Chelsea. You deserve it, you work too hard," Patty replied.

Chelsea raised her eyebrow quizzically, "No I don't. If anything, I need to work harder."

Patty rolled her eyes, "No, you need a vacation. Even you own doctor told you that you need to rest."

"I'll take a rest when I'm done with this piece that I've been working on," she whined.

Patty slammed her fist down on the wooden desk, "Damn it Chelsea! You work too hard. As your boss… and mother, I am ordering you to take a vacation."

"Jeez mom, I didn't know you'd ever play the 'I'm your boss' card on me," Chelsea chided and rose her hands in mock defeat, "Even if I were to take a vacation, where would I even go?"  
>Patty smiled and chuckled, "I already took care of that Sweetheart. You haven't visited your Aunt Mirabelle in quite some time, so I made plans for you to visit her."<p>

"I don't recall ever meeting her…" Chelsea began but was interrupted.

"It was about 20 years ago Darling. It's in a… rural area, but it will be good for you, a nice place to rest and enjoy nature."

Chelsea sighed and shook her head, "You know that nature and I are natural enemies."

"Chelsea, you're going and that's final. Tomorrow afternoon you'll leave for the Sunshine Islands."

Chelsea pouted, "But I haven't even packed yet."

"Already done, Sweetpea! Your sister even let you borrow some of her clothes!"

Chelsea's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, "SHE PACKED HER CLOTHES FOR ME?"

Patty giggled, "It's about time you dressed more feminine like your sister anyways."

"Feminine is one thing, a stripper is a whole different level," Chelsea screamed, "And anyways, I like the way I dress. Don't be a hater."

Her mother looked at Chelsea's black slacks and matching blazer with distain.

"Don't get your tampon in a twist, the visit will only last a couple months," Patty reproached.

Chelsea moaned, "Can I at least work a little bit while I'm there? Let's say I find a good scoop there, could I take some minor notes?"

Patty sighed in frustration but gave in, "Fine. Only if it's a good story. Heaven knows we'll need one for this paper."

Chelsea smiled triumphantly and turned back to her work.

Suitcase in one hand and laptop in the other, Chelsea boarded the deserted cruise-like ship. Wandering through the halls, she looked for her room so that she could set her luggage down. With every step the wooden floor boards would creak, sending a shiver down her spine. Slightly freaked out by the absence of other passengers plus the creepy noises, she hurried to her room. Chelsea tossed her luggage inside the room and hurried to the deck, embracing the fresh air with arms wide open. Her black peep-toed pumps clacked as she made her way to the railing. Today she decided to wear something more casual but still maintaining her usual refined look; she donned a light green wool sweater and light grey capris. As the island neared she observed its quite size. The island's beauty however, made up for its small size. Vibrant green foliage added the island's liveliness.

In the midst of her awe, the ship had docked and the captain was growing impatient. He slowly wandered over to her and tapped her shoulder.

"Miss, this is your stop, correct."  
>She jumped in surprise but was able to nod once she regained her composure.<p>

"Just give me a moment to go retrieve my luggage," Chelsea said.

"Already, done Miss. Enjoy your stay at the Sunshine Islands!" he hollered as he walked away.

She strode toward her luggage that awaited her at the dock. With luggage in hand, she confidently stepped onto the sandy shore. And fell.

* * *

><p><strong>I hope that you enjoyed reading this! Review Please!<strong>

**Thanks for reading!**


	2. Meeting Emma

Excruciating pain shot through her ankle as it twisted and she tumbled into the sand. She attempted to stand up, but only came crashing back down in the sand. Whimpering, she crawled around, gathering all of her belongings that had tumbled astray. Once she had all of her possessions together, she began to crawl away from the beach, towards the quaint town in hopes of finding help.

"Um, Ma'am… What're you doin'?" a young voice inquired.

Chelsea craned her neck to face the child, "I am trying to get to town."

The little girl giggled, "I mean why are you crawling?"

Chelsea laughed as well, "I hurt my ankle and I can't walk."

The little girl's face fell in pity but she smiled again, "I can help you!"

"Thank you…um, what's your name?" Chelsea asked the girl.

"Emma," she replied and helped Chelsea stand up.

As they neared the town, Chelsea spoke up, "How old are you Emma?"

"Eleven. Where are you staying Ma'am?" Emma replied.

"I'm staying with my aunt. Her name is Mirabelle. Do you know her?"

Emma nodded vigorously, "My daddy buys his cattle from her. She's a real nice lady. … How old are you Ma'am?"

"Twenty-six. Call me Chelsea."

"Okay Chelsea. I think we should stop by my house before you go to Mirabelle's shop. Your ankle looks swollen."

She contemplated her options for a moment, but decided that Emma was right. As they walked in silence towards Emma's house, Chelsea couldn't help but notice how unusual the child looked. Stark brown hair contrasted against her fair, ashen skin. What was even odd was the fact that she had deep amethyst eyes.

"We're here!" Emma said as they entered the house… errr… mansion actually.

She led Chelsea to a cow skin sofa and ordered her to sit while she fetched some ice for her ankle. Chelsea took that time to soak in the extravagance of the abode. Crystal chandelier hung from the high ceiling. The regality ended there. The rest of the home was filled with country style furnishing, which indicated that either the mother was a terrible interior decorator or the mother was just plain absent. Chelsea leaned toward the latter option because most of the pictures were just of Emma and her father. She couldn't make out what the father looked like in the photos because they were too far away.

"I hope this helps," Emma said and placed the ice on her ankle.

"Thank you Emma. You are quite independent," Chelsea observed.

Emma sighed, "I have to be. My dad gets home really late and my mom died a long time ago."

Chelsea could feel her heart break, "So you're all alone?"

Emma shook her head, "Not all the time. During the summers, my dad usually hires a nanny to take care of me. But this year, my nanny quit and now my dad has to find a replacement."

"That's terrible."

The doorbell chiming distracted them from Emma's melancholy story.

"Oh… I forgot to tell you! I called Mirabelle and your cousin is coming to pick you up," Emma explained as she opened the door.

In walked a gorgeous woman around Chelsea's age. Long blonde hair hung in two loose pigtails and a cowboy had sat on her head. She had lively blue eyes that smiled at Chelsea. She wore a red flannel shirt along with a pair of tiny levi shorts and brown cowboy boots. Chelsea blushed as she looked down at her wool sweater and khaki capris; suddenly she felt extremely embarrassed.

"Chelsea!" the beautiful woman squealed in a country accent and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Hey…" Chelsea began but realized she didn't know her name. She looked over to Emma for help. Emma giggled but mouthed, "Julia."

Chelsea cleared her throat, "Hello Julia. It's nice to see you again."

Julia giggled, "No need to be so formal! Let's head back home, Mirabelle is waitin'!"

Once they waved goodbye to Emma, they hopped into Julia's red pickup truck and headed to her house.

Julia initiated the conversation, "Did you get to meet Emma's father?"

"No… not yet. Why?" Chelsea asked.

Julia turned to face Chelsea, "Vaughn is a hunk. He is the most gorgeous man I've ever seen in my life."

"Vaughn. That's an odd name. What's his wife's name?" Chelsea inquired, disregarding the mention of his looks.

"Sabrina. But she died when Emma was a baby. He must have loved her a lot because he has sworn off women for good," Julia complained.

"How did she die?" Chelsea pressed. She couldn't help it, it was in her journalist blood.

Julia rolled her eyes, "Aren't you full of questions. No one knows, he never talks about her."

"That's so sad," Chelsea mused.

"You're tellin' me. It's depressing how good looking he is, but won't ever date," Julia whined.

Chelsea rolled her eyes, "I meant it's sad that his wife died and that Emma doesn't have a mother."

Julia waved her hand, "Yah, I guess that's sad too."

They pulled up into the driveway of a quaint store that smelled like cow manure. Chelsea tried not to gag and looked over at a completely unfazed Julia.

"You get used to it, Citygal" Julia said, not even looking at Chelsea.

They hopped out of the car and headed inside the store. Julia pulled on an apron and began to organize products behind the counter.

"Mirabelle is out back. She'll be right in," Julia said and motioned for Chelsea to sit down.

"Get inside you lazy ASS!" Mirabelle shouted from outside.

Chelsea looked over at Julia with a worried expression but Julia just smirked and suppressed a chuckle.

A plump woman struggled to walk into the room as she pulled a mule that trailed behind her. Releasing an exhausted pant, Mirabelle took a seat next to Chelsea.

"Good to see you dear!" Mirabelle began, "You're such a beautiful young woman! Julia look here. You should take some pointers from Chelsea. Look how refined and conservative she looks, instead of the revealing clothes you wear."

Julia rolled her eyes, "Moooom! My clothes serve their purpose."

Mirabelle scoffed, "Is that purpose to attract Elliot, the hooligan next door?"

Julia stuck her tongue out, "No. I have to work for you and it's hot outside. So therefore my clothes are functional."

"…Why don't you show Chelsea to your room? She should lie down and elevate her ankle," Mirabelle offered, not wanting to argue with her daughter in front of company.

"I reckon I should," Julia said sassily. Julia grabbed Chelsea's hand and pulled her up the staircase into the living portion of the building.

Julia led her into a small room. Two twin sized beds and a small closet.

"I know she ain't much, but she'll last us the summer," Julia said, "I'll leave you to unpack. Afterwards, you should really relax so your ankle doesn't get worse," Julia grinned mischievously, "Tonight you get to meet the girls!"

Chelsea smiled and shook her head, suppressing her groan. She didn't want to appear ungrateful, but parties really weren't her thing. "Sounds great!"

Julia jumped up and down, clapping her hands, "Yay! It's going to be so much fun."

After Julia left, Chelsea began rummaging through her suitcase to find a decent outfit for later that night. Whimpering, she pulled out various articles of her _sister's_ clothing, which looked a lot like Julia's. With a dramatic sigh, Chelsea collapsed on to her bed. She was exhausted; traveling for hours by boat, twisting your ankle and having to limp to town, and work.

She bolted upright. "I still have to find a good story for my column!"

Groaning, she fell onto her bed once more before slipping into oblivion.


	3. Let's all Party

**I hope that you like this chapter. Vaughn is being introduced, so sorry if he's a little OOC, but keep in mind that he has a kid so he can't be too heartless XD**

**I just want to thank everyone who is taking the time to read this. It truly means a lot to me that you guys take the time to actually READ my story even though you might not review. But I still hope you review even if it's just a quick 'good job.' Thanks everyone 3**

* * *

><p>Chelsea slapped away that hand that repeatedly poked her face.<p>

"Wake up. We have to get ready!" Julia said.

The groggy brunette suppressed the urge to groan. She shuffled over to her suitcase and rummaged through her belongings, or rather her sister's clothes. Julia peered over her shoulder.

"Chelsea! Those clothes are so cute compared to what you're wearing right now!" Julia squealed. Chelsea looked down at her gray capris and green wool sweater and felt slightly insulted; she spend quite a sum of money on her Ann Taylor clothing. She decided to give Julia the benefit of the doubt that a hillbilly hadn't heard of such a fine brand of clothing.

She held up a garment like it was a disgusting piece of trash, "These are my sister's clothes."

Julia pushed her out of the way and rummaged through her bag. "This will be perfect for tonight! We're gonna head down to the local shindig! It's family friendly so we can't dress to risqué," Julia winked playfully. She held up a pair of dark wash skinny jeans, a grey long sleeve shirt, and a pink scarf. Chelsea observed the outfit and liked its simplicity, so she complied and changed.

Suddenly an old man hobbled into the room. Chelsea looked at Julia with a confused look.

"This is Taro. He's our landlord," Julia explained.

"Nice to meet you Taro," Chelsea said and shook his gnarled hand.

"We'd love to stay and chat, but we're going to the party," Julia said.

Taro nodded understandingly, "Let me know if you see Vaughn. Ya'll know that he was voted Sexiest Man alive?"

Julia smiled and nodded, "Okay Taro. Make sure my mom gives you your medication later."

As the girls descended the stairs Julia explained. "Don't mind Taro. His mind has been going in his old age."

Chelsea nodded.

"Let's head out!" Julia sprinted toward the pickup truck.

"Shotgun!" Chelsea screamed.

XxXxXxXxXxX

This shindig was quite a sight. Chelsea had anticipated that it would be an indoor party, but it was outside a restaurant. Stars shone down on the groups of young adults, teens, and families that were scattered across the field of grass. However, not all of the land was grass; a dance floor had been sprawled over the green vegetation and numerous villagers danced to their native country music.

"There they are!" Julia squealed and dragged Chelsea toward the table.

As the duo neared the table full of young adults, Chelsea felt her palms begin to sweat. She wasn't sure what to expect or how to act. It felt like high school all over again.

"Hey y'all. This is my cousin Chelsea. Y'all show her a good time ya'hear?" Julia said as she sat down and pulled me down with her. Julia then began flirting with the male that was seated next to her. Chelsea assumed that he was the 'hooligan' that Mirabelle had been talking about.

"Hey, I'm Lanna. I'd love to stay and chat, but I really have to head out." Lanna said and left abruptly. Chelsea blushed slightly. She wondered if she had been the reason that Lanna had left.

"Hello. My name is Lily. Sorry for Lanna's exit. She's part of the band that plays here, so she had to go get ready."

Chelsea nodded understandingly.

The man sitting across from her winked at her and smiled flirtatiously. He had dimples that could make any girl's heart kick start. "The name's Denny."

Chelsea smiled politely. She wasn't very good with socializing. True, her job did require her to interview numerous people, but she had all possible questions mapped out; talking to people for fun was not something she delved in before.

She cleared her throat, "Hello. My name is Chelsea. Nice to meet you Denny." She said in her usual professional voice.

He chuckled, "You a city gal?"

She blushed, "Is it that obvious?"

"You sound too formal to be from the county. And you're definitely prettier than country fillies."

Chelsea's face flushed and Julia took notice. Julia flicked Denny's head.

"Don't flirt with my cousin! She isn't going to fall for a player like you, Denny," Julia fumed.

Denny rubbed his wounded forehead, "Ow. I can't help myself, Jules."

Lily interrupted, "I love this song! Come on y'all, let's go dance!"

The teens fled to the dance floor, but Chelsea remained seated at the table. She wasn't much of a dancer; she didn't want to humiliate herself. She huffed. This was going to be a long night.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Vaughn kissed the forehead of the girl that he loved with all his heart.

"Daddy! Come on, let's go. We're gonna be late!" Emma pouted and dragged him towards the shindig. Every Saturday night, there was a party that was held in an empty plot of land. The purpose was to build unity within the community.

Emma dragged her doting father to various stands, but then noticed that Chelsea sat all alone at on the wooden picnic tables. Emma nudged her father, he grunted in response.

"That's the nice lady that I helped the other day. She hurt her ankle and I took her to our house so she could rest."

Vaughn's eyes widened to the sight of dinner plates, "Didn't I tell you not to talk to strangers, Emma? I thought you knew better!"

Emma bit her lip, "But she was hurt. I had to help. It was the right thing to do."

Vaughn sighed, "I know, you're right. I just don't want you to get hurt."

She hugged him and giggled, "I know daddy. I love you."

"Love you too Em."

Emma smiled mischievous and looked up into his amethyst eyes, "Daddy. You know that summer is here."

"Yes…" Vaughn said apprehensively. Her tone of voice hinted that she was hinting at something.

"Well, since my regular nanny quit, I think I know who would make a good replacement."

He was all ears now. He had scanned every ad for a nanny or babysitter, but none of them seemed to fit their needs. "Who?"

She grinned, "Chelsea."

Vaughn's jaw dropped, "You mean the woman you helped, Mirabelle's niece? The one would can even walk without getting injured?"

Emma pouted and gave him her best puppy dog eyes, "Please daddy?"

So many thoughts of what could go wrong ran through his mind, but his daughter's pleading eyes won over. He sighed. "You can mention it. I don't want you to make her feel like she's obligated to do it."

Emma's smile was so wide it could have split her face, "I'll go talk to her right now!" She squealed and ran toward the wooden picnic table.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Chelsea looked up from her downcast thoughts and saw a familiar face sprinting towards her.

"Chelsea!" the little girl squealed.

"Hello Emma," Chelsea said warmly and hugged the petite girl. She may not be good with people her age, but she adored children.

"Okay, I have something to ask you," Emma said and sat down next to Chelsea, "My dad said I need to be careful about how I ask."

Chelsea smiled, "Ask away."

"Will you be my nanny for the summer?" Emma asked in a rushed voice.

Chelsea sat wide-eyed. She pondered for a moment. It wasn't like she had other things to do. She'd rather be with Emma than hang out with Julia and her friends; not to say that she didn't like them, but she just wasn't comfortable. Being Emma's nanny would be a great escape from the teens, but still allow her to see them occasionally.

"Does your nanny stay at the house with you?" Chelsea questioned.

"Yeah. My dad works pretty late, and sometimes things happen with the cattle and he has to take care of that," Emma explained.

"Is your dad okay with you asking me?"

"He'll probably want to meet you…" Emma's eyes lit up with an idea, "I'll go get him right now!"

While Emma was attempting to find her father, Chelsea thought over her role of being Emma's nanny. During her spare time, she would be able to do some research for her column.

"Dad, this is the lady I told you about," Emma said. Chelsea's head snapped up. Emma's father looked just as unique as she did. Unlike Emma, however, had a slightly darker complexion and Chelsea detected silky white locks hidden under his Stetson cowboy hat. Even though Julia had explained that Taro was senile, Chelsea couldn't help but wonder if he had been right about Vaughn being voted Sexiest Man Alive. It could be possible considering he was extremely handsome.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Chelsea Pettigrove. I think you might know my Aunt Mirabelle." Chelsea stood up to shake his hand.

Suddenly, Vaughn felt self conscious at the sight of the young woman. As she stood, her light chestnut tresses swung over her shoulders. The top of her head reached his nose, making her tall by anyone's standards. Intelligent blue eyes peered into his own.

He cleared his throat, "Vaughn. Nice to meet you."

"I've enjoyed getting to know Emma. She's such a sweet girl and very independent. Although she seems shy, I can sense that she is actually quite strong."

He nodded, but kept his face neutral. He was actually surprised that she had figured out Emma that quickly. Most people wrote her off as the quiet, pale cowgirl.

"That about sums Emma up," he rustled Emma's black hair.

Chelsea smiled, "I've been told that I have good intuition."

Her words were like a stab in the heart. What if she truly did have good intuition? What if she could read him like a book? He shook the thoughts from his head as quickly as they came. He couldn't let that happen, not after how hard he had worked to get where he was now. He changed the subject.

"Our usual nanny stays in the main house, but if you want to say at your aunt's house…" he trailed off.

"Honestly, I wouldn't mind staying at your house. As much as I love my aunt and my cousin, Julia… they're a bit too crazy for my liking." Her bright smile literally took his breath away. It felt like a horse had given him a swift kick to the gut.

"Fine. You can start tomorrow."

"Sounds like a plan," Chelsea said.

"Chelsea! We're going!" Julia called.

Chelsea smiled apologetically to Vaughn, "I'll see you tomorrow and bring my luggage."

He watched her as she strode to Julia's pickup truck. The way she walked was different than country gals. She walked confidently, but cautiously; Vaughn found this somewhat endearing and wondered what he just roped himself into.

* * *

><p><strong>Hope ya'll enjoyed readin' my story. See what I did there *nudge nudge* cowboy lingo is something that I need to work on... But I hoped you liked this chapter!<strong>

**Hit the review button, come on! You know you want to...**


	4. Don't hate me!

Hello my devoted readers! Sorry that I haven't updated for a while now, but in all fairness, I've been really busy. I have had so much homework to do and now finals are coming up. So this is just a heads up that I probably won't be updating until January 23-ish. I know that sounds so far away, but I really have to study hard for finals next week. Then I'm going to Winter Formal, so I don't really have time to write at all, even though I've been wanting to. PLEASE DON'T HATE ME! Life has been so confusing lately, so pray for me and quicker updates :)

Thanks everyone!


	5. Important Notice

Hello dear reader! Sorry I've been kind of absent lately… BUT I HAVE AWESOME NEWS! I joined Wattpad and I want you all to have a first look at my first original short story if you are interested! I worked really hard on it and yes, this is the story that was published in my school paper.

I would be forever in your debt if you would check it out!

My name is ImnotamodelImjusthot

Thank everyone! I've hit a rough spot for this chapter, but I promise I'll have it up by next week at the latest!


End file.
